Quilt Museums and Quilt Travel

Quilt Museums

Center for the Quilt - Kentucky's Alliance for American Quilts runs the Center for the Quilt which informs, educates, and connects people everywhere with America's quilt heritage.

Great Lakes Quilt Center - GLQC preserves and presents traditional arts history and spearheads The Michigan Quilt Project which documents the state's quilting history.

International Quilt Study Center - Nebraska's IQSC studies quilters past and present, the objects they have made and the materials they have used.

La Conner Quilt Museum - LCQM, located in Washington state, offers national and international quilt exhibits throughout the year.

Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum - LQTM promotes the rich and diverse textile traditions of Lancaster County and south-central Pennsylvania.

The National Quilt Museum - Located in Kentucky, MAQS educates the public about the art, history and heritage of quilt making.

The Quilt Index - Although not a true museum, The Quilt Index is a growing research and reference tool providing unprecedented access to information and images about quilts held in private and public hands.

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum - Colorado's RMQM encourages the preservation of quilts and supports the continuation of the art of quilt making.

San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles - SJMQ&T promotes the art, craft and history of quilts and textiles.

Virginia Quilt Museum - VAQM is a resource center for the study of the role of quilts and quilting in the cultural life of society.

Wisconsin Museum of Quilt & Fiber Arts - WMQ&FA celebrates the rich history of quilts and fiber arts and encourages the proper care and preservation of quilts.

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Quilt Barn Tours

Are you going to be driving through the beautiful Great Appalachian Valley region any time soon?  As you wind your way through the countryside of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Iowa, be on the look out for ‘quilt barns’.  Nearly 250 barns, homes and buildings throughout this scenic area now feature 8’ x 8’ wooden panels with quilt block designs painted on them. 

The idea for quilt barns began in 2001 with Donna Sue Groves, a resident of Adams County, Ohio.  Donna’s mother was a quilter and to honor her mother’s enthusiasm for the craft, Donna had her favorite quilt block painted on a local barn.  In addition to highlighting the art of quilting, the idea caught on as a reminder of the cultural heritage of the mostly rural Appalachian area.  Soon 20 neighboring barns featured painted quilt squares and driving the quilt barn trail became a huge tourism draw.  

Other counties and states in the region have seen the success of the idea and begun quilt barn trails of their own, including West Virginia, North Carolina (and even Ontario, Canada).  Hopefully, all 13 states in Appalachia will eventually participate in the project, now nicknamed “Clothesline of Quilts”.

Most of the painted squares are on private barns or historic buildings, but all can be seen from the road.  And while it takes days (maybe even weeks) to travel the entire “clothesline”, lots of beautiful scenery and historic points of interest also dot the trail.  For more information, visit any of the links below.

American Quilt Barns - An online social media community sharing the joy of quilt barns and trails .

The Barns of Iowa - Links to Iowa counties with quilt barn restoration projects.

Barn Quilts of Grundy County - Locations and map of Iowa's original barn quilt project.

Follow the Quilt Trail - The artistry of traditional quilts on a backdrop of historic and beautiful barns in Northeast Tennessee.

Greenfield Historic Society Clothesline of Quilts - Extension of the Ohio quilt barn trail into Highland, Fayette, and Ross Counties.

Harrison County Quilt Barn Project - A "drive it yourself" tour of Harrison County, Ohio, featuring painted replicas of quilt squares on barns.

Miami County Ohio Barn Quilts - Map and PDF guide to barn quilts of Miami County, Ohio.

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